Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard continues to posture for a big fight as he sits on the sideline and heals.
“Lightning” made it clear that he wants to be the one to welcome ex-Strikeforce welterweight titleholder Nick Diaz back to the Octagon early this year.
After going just 1-2 in his first three UFC fights at 185 pounds, Lombard has looked like his old, dominant self after making the cut to welterweight.
The 36-year-old heavy-handed striker, who is also a former Olympic-level Judoka, easily dispatched of former UFC title challengers Nate Marquardt and Jake Shields at 170 pounds.
However, injuries have kept him on the sidelines, without a fight booked, since March.
On Thursday, it was announced that Diaz signed a three-fight contract extension after spending 16 months of inactivity from the cage.
Despite being on a two-fight losing streak (on an interim title bout against Carlos Condit at UFC 143, then a championship bout with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 last March), Diaz insisted he would not fight again unless it was for a title or a six-figure payday.
While it seems unlikely that either of those things will happen, the Cesar Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has recently been linked as the frontrunner to welcome Anderson Silva back to the Octagon next year.
In the event that Diaz vs. Silva does not come to fruition, would Diaz vs. Lombard be the most suitable plan B?